Chevrolet Equinox gets Chinese engine!
According to reports from the Chinese state owned news corp, Xinhua, Chevrolet are building the V6 engines for the Equinox SUV in China from now on to give it a price advantage over its competitors models.
The 185bhp, V6 model is built by General Motors partner, SAIC. This is the first time that GM have outsourced engine building to Chinese companies, and the Chinese are hailing it as a milestone in their automotive development history.
A GM representative was quoted by Xinhua as saying that GM are very satisfied with the quality of the Chinese built engine.
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This is strange, back when they launched the Equinox in 2004 I read in all of the US motor magazines (Motor Trend, Road & Track etc) that they were using a chinese made 3.4 V6. So I guess they were either wrong, or its a slow news month for GM!!
No, you are right Anthony. Export plans for this Chinese-assembled engine were reported way back in October of 2002 and in 2005 alone 130,000 of them found their way into vehicles sold in the U.S..
As I understand it, Consumer Reports did not fault the Chinese assembly of the engine, but rather the poor design of the engine itself.
Very odd – Xinhua started reporting it yesterday, even had a quote from a Dick Mcline/maclane?
Equinox engine was troublesome for GM reliability, and wasn’t any cheaper than US sourced V6 due to high shipping cost via container. Basically, it was a failed experiment.
The next Equinox will drop Chinese engine and revert back to a US-sourced engine.
Per consumer report’s “study” into the Equinox, which only has one power train option, the Chinese-built LNJ V6, none of the common problems has to do with the engine.
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http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/2005-to-2007-chevrolet-equinox-2.htm
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Quoting Consumer Guide:
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Trouble Spots
Consumer Guide’s® Auto Editors have scoured repair bulletins and questioned mechanics to search for commonly occurring problems for a particular vehicle. In some cases we also give possible manufacturer-suggested solutions. In many instances these trouble spots are Technical Service Bulletins posted by the manufacturer, however, we have our own expert looking at additional vehicle problems.
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Electrical problem: The PCM was being replaced for a defective chip under a voluntary emissions recall because it affected the fuel pump and EGR system. (2005)
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Electrical problem: The check engine light may come on, due to failure of the EGR valve. The Delphi valve is to be replaced with a Seimens valve kit and have the PCM flashed. (2005-06)
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Fuel gauge: The engine may not start or may stall because the tank is empty yet the gauge shows fuel remaining, or the fuel gauge will not show full after refilling due to sulfur corrosion of the fuel level sender and if after treating with Fuel System Cleaner PLUS the problem remains, the sender may need to be replaced. (2005-06)
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Vehicle noise: Rattling noise from the front end is caused by bad bushings for brake caliper pins. (2005-06)
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Vehicle noise: Noise from the front accompanied by sensation felt in steering wheel may be due to insufficient steering rack preload. (2005)
Equinox engine was troublesome for GM reliability wise, and wasn’t any cheaper than US sourced V6 due to high shipping cost via container. Basically, it was a failed cost-reduction experiment.
The next Equinox will drop Chinese engine and revert back to a US-sourced engine instead.
Oddly enough, the Equinox with the LNJ V6 had better reliablity ratings than a Chrysler 300 (many were built in Canada) (per JD powers). In fact, it has the same power train reliablity rating as a Mercedes C-class.
They are indeed switching to a 263hp v6, but did not state where from, for the 2008 Equinox.
The engine in my 2005 equinox sounds like it will explode at any time, and has since I purchased it 2 years ago. I was told its normal. I was also told that its normal for that engine to use about a quart of oil between changes. No idea where its going, but its the only car I have ever had that the oil just disappeared out of it with no smoke, or leaks. If there was another engine I could put in it, I would gladly spend the money to replace that badly engineered badly built POS engine.
Oh and on a side note WATER will permanently stain the seats.
I just purchased a 2006 equinox and now yu guys are scaring me.
Read the consumer report links. Faults are not due to the power train.
Won’t buy one. Thanks for letting the truth be known! Heck, the Chinese can’t make cat food or toothpaste right. How can we expect them to make a good engine?
For those who buy new, knowing about the China engine: Thanks for helping putting Americans (and Canadians) out of work. Boycott that engine!
My 2006 Equinox 3.4 L LNJ V6 engine is cooked!
I did an oil change last January and the engine blew the following November. Needless to say, we put on 15,000 km since the last oil change, but it practically ran out of oil in 10 months and they are telling me that I fried the engine out of neglect so the 5 year power train warranty is null and void. I agree that the vehicle should have been serviced every 5,000 km, but the engine should be more reliable than this. I’m very disatisfied with my used 2006 Chevrolet Equinox and with GM over the service issue for that matter. Unfortunately it looks like I am out of pocket for this one! Don’t buy an Equinox!
A little follow-up research ref my last post above:
http://www1.epinions.com/content_4718764164
Apparently the Chevy 3.4 L LNJ Engine is built in China (Shanghai GM) and exported to North America. Most of the blogs I have researched say that this engine is built with plastic intake manifold gaskets. Above link refers. My engine didn’t even have 80,000 km on it and it’s cooked.